Munchkin
by Nyx6
Summary: Big bad Jon Moxley would do anything for his baby sister. Even chaperoning her to her first school dance. But he absolutely does not have to like it in any way shape or form right? Mox and Katie are back everyone!
1. Mox Puts On His Gladrags

**Katie and Mox are back everybody! But only for a little bit. This is going to be a short little story that I'll post in five parts with a new one every other day. Nothing too dramatic happening in this one, I just wanted some more of Mox with his favourite girl because damn it I missed them!**

 **Hope you like big brother Mox being back again and that you've missed the cuteness and shameless family vibes!**

 **Here goes nothing!**

* * *

 **Mox Puts On His Gladrags**

Mox pulled the battered old truck up kerbside in front of the familiar and neatly trimmed lawn before taking some time to try and smooth his scruffy bangs out in a way that he hoped made them look recently brushed but which failed to tame the messy hair remotely and instead simply sort of tousled the strands around.

"Ah crap."

He bailed out of his pathetic attempted self-preening with a huffy little growl and then slammed the visor back before clambering from the truck with a creak of rusted hinges and crossing the lawn ignoring the _keep to the path_ signs. His sister had wound up in a pretty sweet neighborhood in a house that had a porch with white painted wooden rails and weatherboard facing and shutters on the windows that mirrored the neighbors' properties like they were building a row of clones.

In short it was _not_ the kind of place he belonged in –

But it _was_ the perfect place to raise the kid they both loved.

Hopping up the steps to stand beneath the porch hang he pressed the buzzer keenly in a series of taps and then repeated them over and over to be annoying until a blurred figure loomed large on the other side of the glass.

His sister seemed angry when she got the door open,

"Damn it Jon, the boys are sleeping."

"Not anymore though huh?"

Brushing in past her he tried not to shiver at how freaking cold the outside had been which he probably should have known since he'd spent nearly all his life there but had evidently forgotten having been in Florida for the last six months. Back there it was pretty much all sun loungers and humidity with a billion mosquitos thrown in for extra luck and it was weird how quickly his base temperature had adapted and how totally unprepared it was for the thermostat back home.

He cut a path into the kitchen and threw his bags down,

"Squeaker?"

"She's upstairs getting ready, coffee first?"

His sister had flicked the button even as she had been asking him and at once the machine began to click and loudly whirr as she pulled two mugs from a tree beneath the cabinets and then set about frothing the both of them some milk. Mox slid onto a stool before the breakfast bar and then busied himself by lazily scanning the room which opened out into a big play area that was strewn with tiny toy trucks, building blocks and tiny chairs and most of which were trashed or had been broken thanks to his little nephews and their heavy handed care.

He took off his coat and his sister clanked a coffee mug.

"Oh god, please tell me you're not wearing that."

"What?"

"That terrible shirt."

"Uh – ," Mox blinked in response to her and then lowered his eyes to the called out top which was black but had been printed to look like a tuxedo with some white for the shirt and a bow tie and buttonhole and which _he_ had thought was perfectly suited but based on her face was more possibly not.

His sister face-palmed and then began to rub her eyelids,

"I'll have to find you something else."

"Huh?"

"Because if you think I'm letting you take our baby sister to her first big school dance looking like that then you're wrong,"

Her missive was accompanied by some serious clattering as she propelled the mugs towards him half filled with hot brown sludge before slamming the beeping frother hard onto the countertop and then waving at it crossly,

"Look sis – ,"

"Put the milk in and I'll be back."

Mox blinked as she turned on her heel and stalked away from him, bewildered by her force but not by a lot since she had long been the feistiest person in their family whereas he had bursts of passion but tended to be more laid back. Katie was like that too because she was like him in _everything_ and that was the reason that their bond was so strong since while the rest of their kin were impulsive and punchy the two of them had mostly preferred to hang time. Including when their mother had tottered home hammered and burst in loudly cussing and pitching into things and at which point Katie would pad from her own room holding a stuffed toy and crawl into his bed knowing her big brother would keep her tucked safely and protect her from their booze-stained mess of a mom.

Katie.

Squeaker.

Mox peered back at his tuxedo top and then let loose a halfway rebellious sounding snort because what in the hell was the problem with him wearing it? Not that he was an expert in fashion or _haute couture_. Particularly when it came to elementary school dances. Maybe he _had_ got it totally wrong? Because the last thing he wanted was to show up his sister in front of her friends and their paunchy old men since the event that he had been somehow found himself being coerced into was a traditional father-daughter dance type of thing.

Fuck.

Not that it was a total surprise how he'd wound up there since all it had taken was one call from his favorite kid and the thought of her stood in the hall on her lonesome like there wasn't a single man that cared for her.

Bullshit.

He cared –

He cared so much it hurt him and so he had pretty much signed up to be her chaperone at once, having not fully thought through the several huge problems like his being socially awkward and the fact he was _not_ her pop and also the minor issue of his forgetting to book the time off and then having to plead for a super last minute weekend swap.

His trainers had not been happy with him for _that_ one.

His sister breezed back into the kitchen with a sigh,

"Sorry that took longer than I expected, there was a minor hair emergency upstairs, here – ," in her hand she was a holding navy shirt which she flapped at him until he reached over and took it from her reluctantly, "It's one of the better ones he has in the closet and I figure he would _hate_ the thought of you wearing it for the night but then since he's not here he can't really complain so on that basis screw him."

Mox blinked,

"Brian right?"

He was referring to her husband and the man who had long been his brother-in-law and whom he had figured to be pretty much the perfect partner in life but based on the bitterness flooding the kitchen was evidently not the imagined white knight.

His sister snorted back,

"Uh huh, that's the asshole."

"You two havin' trouble?"

He posed the question with a frown because even though he and the elder of his two siblings had butted heads from practically the moment he'd been born, she was still his closest family and a kickass guardian to Katie and so the thought that someone maybe wasn't treating her properly was enough to get him all kind of riled up although in the end his sister merely blew a heavy sigh out then took a gulp of the coffee she had added milk to herself.

Oh yeah, crap.

"It's just – it's just your normal married couple stuff and the stress of raising three children I guess and then there's his work, I mean you know he got a promotion?"

"Um – ,"

Fortunately for both of them his sister carried on,

"It means a lot of travelling back and forth to places and meetings and overnights and it's beginning to take its toll, sometimes I feel like a single parent at the moment although Katie is such a big help with the boys."

Mox paused uncertainly,

"You – you think he's cheatin'?"

For a second he was expecting a crack around the head and so actually flinched as he shrugged into the blue shirt folds by pulling it on over the top of his snubbed clothes. His sister however simply blinked then cleared her throat a touch,

"No, I mean I've _thought_ about it but no."

"You sure?"

"Mmhmm, it's a totally normal rough patch."

Mox wasn't sure who she was trying to convince but lost his chance to ask at the sound of hurried footsteps and the creak of a stairgate followed by an expectant pause.

"Squeaker?"

Her head popped brightly round the corner with an ear to ear beam that positively lit him right up because _fuck_ if the kid wasn't looking so happy in the totally carefree way that a child her age should have. Her long brown hair had been curled into ringlets and then tied back into a cute slicked side ponytail and she was wearing a touch of makeup but only a very little which comprised a splash of blusher and some soft pink lipstick as well. Her fingernails too had been covered in silver varnish which Mox could see from where they were wrapped around the frame and so figuring that the kid was keen to make the big reveal to him, he stood from his bar stool and made a coaxing motion,

"C' mon Munchkin, let's see you then."

"Ta-da."

His baby sister launched herself across the threshold with her arms thrown wide but having a laughing fit as well because while she was obviously pleased with her outfit there was still a childlike baby part of her that found the process funny as hell.

Her ballgown for the evening comprised a knee length ensemble in a shade of vibrant pink which hurt his poor eyes and had a pleat in the front to make the thing more poofy, a silver sparkly belt and little sleeveless straps. Her tiny feet were clad in matching silver ballerina pumps and in the moment he was so fucking thankful for no heeled footwear that he honestly could have probably openly bawled since it meant she was still his little baby sibling and not some pre-pubescent tiny wannabe adult.

Mox blinked back at her,

"Squeaker you're lookin' beautiful."

"Really?"

Katie blushed and then bit at her lip while tapping the toe of her pumps on the hardwood like maybe her big brother was making it up.

"Would I lie to you Squeaks?"

Her head shook quickly and the conviction of her reaction melted his otherwise cold hard heart and then made him cross the kitchen towards her before tweaking her with his fingers,

"Gotcha nose."

" _Mox_ – ,"

Behind them their elder sister bustled off to get a camera and then insisted on the two of them taking traditional school dance snaps but which Mox and Katie messed up consistently by poking their tongues out or by throwing up peace signs and at one point even making a crazy gangsta rap pose and after which their sister gave up on trying to take shots and instead made pleas for them to have a nice evening and have fun and to be careful and that sort of thing and in response to which Mox put out a gentlemanly elbow,

"Squeaker, how 'bout we getcha to the ball huh?"

Her answer was beamed and totally happy as she nodded her little head at him,

"Okay Mox."

* * *

 **So, next chapter coming in two days then, but I hope in the meantime you liked our start.** **I know it's been a while since you were reading these two but hopefully you'll learn to love them again!**

 **Bye for now!**


	2. Mox In Squeakerland

**Chapter two then everyone and I'm super glad people still care about these two. I missed writing Katie, even if she is a little bit older now. Maybe I'll have to try a teenaged Katie someday if I can bring myself to write her not all little and cute!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Teehee, well, cuteness is totally my aim with these two so expect plenty more of that before this one is over. Nothing better to write than big brother Mox!**

 **HannonsPen, Yay! Glad you're happy to see the big brother baby sister dynamic back. Just because I'm putting him through it in one story, doesn't mean he can't be here being all cute with his favourite kid right?**

 **Skovko, I've missed the cuteness overload of Mox and Katie. It's been too long. I know you're not a big fan of kids, but hopefully kid sis can recapture your heart like last time and burrow herself in!**

 **Minnie1015, Yep, I told you they would be so now here's the proof! There** _ **may**_ **be a little potential trouble at the dance, but I can promise lots of Mox awkwardness. Just as soon as these two have caught up!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yep, they're back! I had to come back to them sometime, even if it is only for a little while. I missed them too much! Some cute brother and sister chatter coming in this chapter!**

 **LunaticxLass, Big brother Mox is the best and I won't lie, it's so much fun to write him being all cute and not murderous! I mean, who wouldn't want to be the special girl in Mox's life am I right?!**

 **Mandy, Aww, I'm glad this made you so happy! Mox certainly loves the women in his life (excluding mom of course!) He has trouble showing it to his older sister but if he ever needed to he would kick ass for her as well. Katie's his fave though, forever and ever!**

 **Here they are then...**

* * *

 **Mox In Squeakerland  
**

Because his battered pickup truck was so freaking lofty Mox had to lift Katie up into her seat but then hovered beside her holding her tiny little clutch bag as the silver painted fingernails snapped the belt into the clasp,

"Okay, I'm in Mox."

He reached over her anyway and tested it out before returning the tiny purse and then hauling himself up into the seat alongside her before pushing an assortment of candy wrappers off the dash, because it was bad enough that the kid would be turning up in a rust bucket without having a ton of crap falling all over her on the ride.

He fired up the engine and then winked,

"Watch this Munchkin."

Back out on the porch their older sister was watching them, hugging herself tight against the bitter October chill and waiting to wave them off like she probably thought she ought to as the tabby kitten Mox had bought Katie for her birthday mewled and curled in hunger around her toes.

Mox could see the neighboring drapes twitching on both sides and so announced their departure by bleeping the horn and then flooding the quiet street with a loud volley of tooting that turned their elder sibling half murderous with fury and made her start towards them with a hiss of purpose,

"Jon – ,"

He floored the gas with a cheerful little hand wave then beamed like a freaking idiot when he heard Katie chuckle too and it made him have to try to not get too sentimental because _fuck_ it was brilliant to be back with his kid and to know that they could fall into their normal crazy rhythms like his big sorry ass had never been gone.

He put out a hand and palmed her head roughly,

"Missed you Kiddo."

"Missed you too Mox."

"So catch me up here, what's goin' on in _Squeakerland_?"

"Um, that's not a place."

He snorted at her,

"Sure it is, that's where cute baby sisters hang out together and the rivers are – like – made of kittens and rainbows an' stuff and instead of water it rains puppies and lollipops."

Katie beamed broadly but bit her lip to stop from laughing because she clearly felt it important her brother know he was insane and so to that end she sighed before crossing her arms over as she tried to sound reprimanding,

"You can be pretty crazy sometimes."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh."

Mox threw a broad hand but out continued to keep his eyes tight on the road as he planted his fingers beneath his little sister's ribcage and then started to tickle her hard up and down and which promptly made her squeal and squirm back frantically,

"So I'm crazy is that it?"

"Mox _nooo_ – I can't breathe – _stop_."

Hearing her laugh was like the best kind of music and so he continued to tickle and torture her a little more before finally holding his up hand in faux innocence and then levelling the near howling kid with a haughty looking frown,

"Squeaker please, I'm tryin' to concentrate,"

Katie shrieked in protest,

"But – but you were tickling _me_."

"I was?"

" _Uh huh_."

"You sure 'bout that?"

"Positive."

Mox beamed back wickedly,

"In that case then – ,"

" _Noooo_."

In the blink of an eye his fingers were back again and scrabbling mercilessly through the chiffon of her frock as his baby sister laughed and flat out caterwauled then thrashed herself so hard that she almost slid out from beneath her belt.

Mox let up his tickling,

"Squeaks, I'm callin' a truce here an' because I'm such a nice guy you can have your nose back as well."

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

He reached into his pocket then pulled out his thumb tip clamped tight in one hand and hardly looking like a real facial feature although Katie still leaned in across the console all the same, then keenly pressed her tiny face towards his fingers like she was attaching the missing item back again.

"Yay."

It was followed by her poking her little tongue at him which her big brother then made a move to try and snatch before lifting a teasing sort of brow in her direction,

"I'll take that too."

Katie squeaked then whipped it back.

In the twenty one months she had been living with their sister and experiencing a regular family sort of life, Katie had blossomed from a hugely shy youngster into a real little person with bucket loads of sass plus thoughts and moxie and about ten million other things that by rights she should have had a long time before, but which had always been buried no thanks to their mother and her booze-soaked tantrums and lack of parenting.

But no more.

For the first time ever his baby sister was truly happy or at least she _appeared_ to be.

Mox cleared his throat.

Because the conversation earlier about his older sister's marriage had left his big brother brain firing hard and wondering whether the little kid humming beside him had noticed the new fault lines threatening to rupture her happy world and which he pretty much figured she had to have at some point since the youngster had always had been pretty whip smart.

 _Fuck_.

He licked his lips and then tried to bite the bullet.

"Squeaker, listen – ,"

"I saw your wrestling match."

"Huh?"

Mox blinked out through the windshield in bewilderment because what in the hell was the kid talking about? No way would their older sister have let them watch the wrestling besides which his Florida matches weren't even televised.

Katie bit her lip and then twisted her hands nervously,

"Emma's brother showed them to us, he – he's nearly twelve."

But probably not likely to reach thirteen if Mox had his way and got his freaking hands on the kid because for the most part his back catalogue of matches were pretty brutal and full of collars and blood and –

Holy shit.

 _Chainsaws_.

"Squeaker which match?"

"Um, the other man won but you kind of beat him up a lot."

He figured that was a sort of positive at least because while she had probably watched him take a beating she had also seen him try to battle his way back not to mention more than likely stick a fork in someone's eyeball or potentially wrap a length of barbed wire around their throat.

Mox shook his head and then tried not to panic,

"Did I use anythin' else to hurt the guy with or was it more like your basic wrestler holds and that stuff?"

"I think wrestler stuff."

"Hold up here a minute, you _think_?"

Her seeming lack of clarity made him more anxious about the whole thing because if what she had seen had been a regular match then it should have been obvious to her in an instant and so her hesitance therefore meant that she'd seen something else which sent colossal spikes of unholy panic through him.

Katie offered him up a miniature little shrug,

"Well I guess you were kind of _singing_ and being funny."

He blinked for a second not following her thread because the only real time he could even remember singing had been thanks to a badly planned horror of match where they had made the bright choice to use booze as a stipulation and had somehow also managed to incorporate shots.

Oh fucking fuck.

Katie had seen _that_ match?

Emma's twelve year old brother was a dead kid for sure besides which why in the hell was he hanging out with two nine year olds? Did the boy not have any damn friends of his own?

Mox sucked a breath in,

"Squeaker – ,"

But his little sister snorted and then waved a hand so her painted nails caught the light and which probably helped to fuel her sudden sense of maturity as she pulled a wry face,

"He thought it was real Mox."

"Huh?"

Katie let out a little chuckle like it was crazy then lifted her hands to cover her mouth, which upset a loud and brightly colored plastic bracelet that was studded with trinkets and lurid unicorn charms but which she quite clearly thought was the height of modern fashion and very likely was to a tweenage baby girl. In that case perhaps she would have liked his cool tuxedo top?

No, he was probably still alone on that front.

Meanwhile Katie continued to fill the blanks in as the bracelet clinked on her skinny little arm,

"Emma's brother said he thought you were really drinking, so I had to tell him it was only a work and then _he_ told me he didn't believe it so I told _him_ you're the best wrestler in the world and you would never _really_ drink in a big match or anything because you only _pretend_ to do things like that right?"

Her blue eyes blinked over the console with reverence and more than a measure of hero worship thrown on top and so not being able to shatter her illusion Mox merely nodded then forced a grin,

"Yep."

Death would be slow for Emma's older brother.

But on the plus side the confirmation was what his sister had hoped to hear and so she hummed a little and then sat herself back even further as her ballerina pumped feet swung in happiness for the night ahead and fired her excitement which then burst out in a giggle and a literal squeal,

"Tonight will be the _best_."

* * *

 **Poor Mox, I'll tell you now he is not a natural at school dances...or with people, so prepare yourselves for that!**


	3. Mox Is Brother Of The Year

**Time for Mox to try and act natural and not out of place in a roomful of kids then. But maybe he won't be the worst behaved one there?**

 **LHisawesome4ever, Yep, nothing like throwing poor old Mox to the lions especially when it comes to the other parents there. Mox is so not a people person, but hey, we love him anyway right?!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Haha, Mox is so not above terrifying a twelve year old if his precious baby sister is involved in the mix somewhere! Luckily Katie is far too pure to think the drunkenness was real!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Awww thanks, Katie and Mox are my favourite sweet treat to write...well, aside from cute Lauren and Dean moments. Oh who am I kidding? I love cute Dean/Mox in any format!**

 **Mandy, I'm so glad that you love these two so much! Nothing I like better than some sickly sweet Katie and Mox goodness! Always pleased to make your day a little brighter and hopefully this chapter will too!**

 **Minnie1015, I know, these two are so sweet they're like an ice cream float or a big old sundae with a cherry on top! Mox puts his big brother reflexes into action in this one too, but only because he has to!**

 **Skovko, I think everyone's seen that match, or at least the drunken singing at the end of it...I mean, it's pretty memorable after all! Bit of course Katie would think he hadn't been drunk at all, he's her hero!**

 **Rebel8954, Haha, I mean I basically made a list of places I thought that Mox would feel super uncomfortable and that was pretty close to the top. But since he would do anything for his Squeaker, well, here he is!**

 **On with the dance...**

* * *

 **Mox Is Brother Of The Year**

Katie was still a pupil at the school in their old neighborhood that the kid had been going to since she had been a tiny scrap and which meant having to make a longer ride morning and evening but had been a small price to pay for letting her stay with her friends and had also provided some much longed for familiarity after the swirling storm of shit that had happened with their mom.

Doug too –

 _Fucker_.

Mox bit back a grumble and then pulled his battered truck up into a space, landing it right in beside a brand new looking Mercedes and then snorting as he imagined the look on the owner's face when he trotted out later to find his beautiful new purchase parked up next to something that looked out of _Beyond The Thunderdome_.

Life could be a total bitch sometimes and so could Jon Moxley.

"Ready Squeaks?"

"Uh huh."

He had little reason to doubt her sincerity since the kid was practically bouncing like a spring in her seat and so he bit back a chuckle then sucked up his courage before going round to lift her back out of the truck while trying to ignore his internal growing _terror_ because the closer they got the more insane it all felt. Being in the ring in front of rows of screaming people was something that suited him because _he_ controlled the mood but since he figured that he couldn't swear and sneer at school teachers or teeny-boppers and their fathers he was way out of his depth and possibly only a breath or two from an aneurysm –

Until his sister wrapped his fingers in her tiny little hand,

"Can we go in now?"

"Depends if you're all ready to pull out some dance moves once we get there?"

Her reply was a giggled and very loosely bashful one,

"Mox – ,"

"Nope, no room for bein' shy now Kiddo, because I'm gonna need to see those super glittery ballerina shoes of yours havin' the very best time they can tonight alright? An' that means a whole lot of singin' and twirlin' an' basically bein' a proper little kid. Do we have ourselves a deal?"

Katie thought about it briefly but then nodded her head with a giggle,

"Okay I'll dance."

"Damn straight you will or I'll do it for you and _trust_ me here Squeaks, nobody wants that."

In spite of the fact that their old neighborhood in general was a rundown and hugely unlovable place to live, the elementary school was housed in a historic red brick building and was therefore one of the best looking structures for miles. Inside were tall carved ceilings and long hallways with wooden lockers and tiled floors which made Katie's little shoes _slap-slap-slap_ and which bounced back even louder for the place being empty with the exception of a backbeat pounding heavily from in front.

Katie began to skip whereas Mox felt mostly nauseous.

But he let the little girl haul him into the hall whereupon the music that had been thumping so promisingly revealed itself to be nothing but horrible uber cheesy pop and where balloons and streamers had been hung from the gym equipment in order to give the place kind of a party vibe which Mox wasn't entirely sure had succeeded but which seemed to make Katie both light up and gape,

"It's _so_ pretty."

Mox wrinkled his nose.

Really?

In one corner of the room beside the fastened back bleachers there was a trestle table of cheese and pineapple cubes and a big bowl of punch that he figured was non-alcoholic but mildly hoped to god that someone had thought to spike. Fathers stood clustered around it wearing work suits and thankfully looking about as awkward as _he_ felt with each of them watching one of the many tiny pre-teens that were running around the room or giggling with friends while silently wishing that they were back home on their couches with a bottle of beer and a football game on.

Katie suddenly squealed out loudly from beside him then tugged from his hand,

"It's Emma and Marie."

"Squeaker – ,"

But she was scampering off before he could stop her in a happy little pelt towards her shrieking best friends who immediately had to suspend whatever they had been doing to admire the newest party frock to arrive.

 _Ooooh_.

Mox grumbled to himself.

It was honest to god frightening just how rapidly his tiny sister was growing up and being hundreds of miles away in Florida was hardly helping since it meant he couldn't see her as much as he would have liked and robbed him of her last few years of being a baby since his kid would be a teenager in the blink of an eye.

Ugh.

Based on the fact that he had been utterly abandoned, Mox turned and headed for the hopefully tampered punch and realized for the first time that most of the other fathers were clustered pretty pathetically in much the same spot since every last girl in the place was ignoring them in a way that made a mockery of the _father-daughter-dance_ name.

Mox poured a ladle of pink liquid into a party cup and then took a reluctant sip.

"Fuck."

Not spiked at all and based on the taste of the stuff not even flavored and so totally revolting that he promptly poured it back and instead grabbed a handful of peanuts from the trestle since he hadn't much eaten on the thirteen hour drive up.

Part of him wondered what in the hell he was even doing there but the answer to that was stood laughing across the hall with her silver ballerina pumps sparkling in the colored lights and with her little face bright with a happy natural glow. Honestly had the kid asked him to drive back every _week_ for her and go through it all again then he would never have said no, besides which there was a piece of him that felt weirdly protective over his status as the person his little sister most adored. Had she even thought of asking Brian to go with her or had she been put off by the slow growing tension back at home? Mox made a mental note to ask her at some point then huffed a grumpy breath out and took a second palm of mixed nuts.

He simply needed to eat and avoid all conversation –

"So, which one's yours then?"

He bit a growl back.

 _Aw hell._

Looking to his right brought him face to face with a pair spectacles framed above a beard and red lumberjack shirt in the look of man who was as clueless as he had been on what exactly was the right and the wrong thing to wear.

Mox sucked a breath in then snapped out an answer,

"None of 'em,"

"Huh?"

He probably sounded like a pedophile who had crept into the hall to look at little girls in dresses so hurriedly tweaked his answer before the fucking police were called,

"Uh, that one over there in the pink, I'm her brother."

"Oh cool man, cool, that's mine over there."

He pointed somewhere off into the gym space and indicated any one of about fifteen little girls and Mox nodded back and then tried to make it seem like he actually gave two craps instead of the far more truthful none at all.

"Uh huh."

His new friend chuckled back wryly,

"Not that you'd know it from the way she's ignoring me, but I figure that's something we're gonna have to get used to now that our babies are growing up am I right?"

Mox shook his head resolutely,

"Not my Squeaker."

"Ouch, I'm sorry man, but that's pretty much how it goes, I mean look at them over there wanting literally nothing to do with us and I'm telling you now it only gets worse. I got a thirteen year old at home who I'm not sure has said a word to me since a week last Tuesday, real fun times huh?"

He snorted loudly then slapped Mox's shoulder not realizing how much he was freaking the man out because the thought of Katie as a teenager was terrifying and particularly if it also meant the end of their bond.

No way could that happen right?

Mox tried to wave at her hoping that her eyes would periodically roam his way but ended up basically signalling at nothing since his sister was too caught up in laughing with her friends.

 _Crap_.

His doom-and-gloom buddy sucked a breath in beside him then slapped him again,

"Like I said, it's life man."

In any other circumstance his very first impulse would probably have been to punch the guy in his big fat face and which he might even have tried out had they then not been interrupted by the sounds of another fight somewhere over to their right.

Huh?

Down towards the end of the long trestle table and beside a bowl of mixed fruit that the children had roundly shunned, two of the lost and sadly abandoned looking fathers had managed to get into a heated argument of some sort which the repetitive caterwauling of Taylor Swift was mostly burying but which was still loud enough to have managed to turn heads. One of the fathers was wearing a black business suit and was possibly the owner of the Mercedes outside, while the other man had pitched up sporting a badly stained band slogan tee and a crookedly bent baseball cap which even _Mox_ knew was bad. Both of the combatants were yelling into the other's faces and were fast building up to a potential push and shove and watching the whole thing build, Mox found himself beaming because it was precisely the kind of wildly fucked up sideshow he enjoyed.

Fighting he could cope with.

" _Well then go fuck yourself asshole_ – ,"

In response to the cuss there was an audible gasping noise and although Mox knew it hadn't come from his sister, he still couldn't stop from looking over to check on her and his heart fell a little because Katie looked horrified.

Her first big dance was being ruined by the two men and evidently by quite a considerable amount to the point that it probably made her getting all ready and having her hair curled and her nails spruced seem like a massive waste of time, besides which the kid hated shouting in general since it brought back bad memories of their fiery mom.

Shit.

Instantly the amusement that Mox had been feeling tapered away in instinctive alarm and so before he even knew what the fuck he was doing he was halfway down the table and sliding into the war.

He held up his hands,

"Whoa, hey, let's back this up a step, c' mon there are kids here are you two nuts?"

He inserted himself fluidly between the warring factions and his proximity forced them to take a shuffle back since Mox was by no means a petite sort of person and so thankfully pretty much towered over them both. Looking up revealed that nearly the entire place was watching and so he sucked a levelling breath in and then tried to remain calm,

Baseball Cap was not quite so even tempered,

"Butt out buster, this isn't your concern."

Behind him the businessman was continuing to look hesitant and based on his expression was hugely thankful that Mox was there, since it seemed highly unlikely he had ever thrown a punch before or used his hands for anything much other than hailing a cab. Figuring that therefore he wouldn't be too much of a problem, Mox turned himself wholesale towards the poorly clothed man and then lowered his voice as far as could manage without the words being lost in the horrific pop music swirl.

Katy Perry –

 _Christ Almighty_.

"Listen up scumbag, there's a little kid over there who spent her whole fuckin' day gettin' ready for this shit an' whose been through so much crap you wouldn't even believe and who just wants one thing to fuckin' go right for once. An' you know what else? I'm her big bro and I take it real badly when I see her upset or when some big asshole tries to ruin her evenin' because he can't keep his fuckin' opinions to himself,"

Mox clicked his knuckles,

"Look man – ,"

"Do we have a problem?"

Baseball Cap swallowed and then shook his head,

"No man, no it's cool, it was all a big misunderstanding."

"Keep it that way."

Mox spun on his heel and then stalked his way back up towards the punchbowl before remembering bitterly that it was still a virgin mess and so therefore not likely to quell his rising anger and nor was the teenage doom-monger he had left and who was hustling over with a beam of elation and likely further tales about how shitty thirteen year olds were.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"Mox?"

He stopped in a heartbeat as a familiar voice chimed up by his side and a well-known set of fingers laced into his rough ones and then hung on tight.

"Squeaker, you alright?"

Katie was looking up at him and grinning like an idiot as she twirled their hands together then tiptoed up onto his shoes in the precise same way that she had always climbed over him and used him like a play frame knowing that her brother would never let her fall.

"Will you come and dance with me?"

"Uh – ,"

Mox blinked and then faltered but at the same time noticed a shift in the mood as the many unloved fathers crowded solemnly around the buffet turned envious eyes towards the pink clad little kid and bitterly wondered why their own treasured children were treating them like lepers.

Mox grinned,

"Sure thing Squeaks."

* * *

 **Aww, Katie will always love her big brother and there ain't nothing changing that! See you back in two days where Mox tries to broach a sensitive subject with his Squeaker.**


	4. Katie Gets A Pep Talk

**Okay, so penultimate chapter (I know, but I said this one was short and sweet) so that means it's time to figure out if Katie knows anything about the marital unhappiness rumbling on back at home?**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Mox loves her way too much to every let a conversation with his kid sis go too badly (we hope). But even though it might be a little awkward, it's totally a conversation that needs to be had. Still, on the plus side we can have some cuteness on the way. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Ta muchly, glad you're liking the cuteness because we've still got some more of that to come (of course). Plus next chapter has even more brother/sister moments to round us all off with an awwww. See you there!**

 **Mandy, Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about your gran, it's so horrible to be so helpless in a situation (trust me, I know) so I feel your pain and I'm keeping you and your grandmother in my thoughts and hoping that everything is okay and gets better. In the meantime though, all I can really do is provide some more loving Mox and Katie to try and pep you up!**

 **Minnie1015, I kind of take the impression that Mox knows how to dance in certain places and scenarios but not others. So I can totally see him as a stripper or something, but being clueless at ballroom (but then again aren't we all?!) Glad you love the cuteness,it's such a guilty pleasure for me with these two! More coming your way now!**

 **Skovko, Yep, some people have no consideration for kids being around. Lucky for us that Katie knows that swearing is bad and so doesn't do it because otherwise there would be trouble. Still, I guess with Mox as a brother she would know all the words anyway, he's hardly the best role model on that front!**

 **More brother/sister bonding coming...**

* * *

 **Katie Gets A Pep Talk**

Due to the fact that the bulk of participants at the papa-princess hoedown were under ten years old, the whole thing wrapped up pretty rapidly on the stroke of eight and the main lights were flipped back on as the trestle table was pushed back. For the remainder of the parents that was the moment that their children allowed them to move closer again, having spent nearly the entire two hours previous ignoring them and trying to pretend that their fathers had not been there.

But they had, poor bastards –

Huddled into the corner holding coats and tiny clutch bags and resentfully munching at the free pizza bites while narrowing their eyes at the lone male among them who had been permitted to enter the much hallowed _girl zone_ and who had spent the whole evening out on the dancefloor with the cute little kid in the bright pink dress.

 _Squeaks._

Mox beamed and them looked down at the his sister fondly as she continued to swing their tangled hands back and forth and pirouetted so that her little silver pump shoes shone in the newly turned on overhead lights but the full brightness of which barely seemed to slow her and nor was the total lack of music a problem too, since she seemed happy enough to carry on bouncing to her own internal rhythm.

Her hands tugged at his,

"Hey, why have you stopped moving?"

"Dance looks like it's kinda finishin'."

"Five more minutes _please_? I just thought a new move up."

Katie latched onto him then locked in her fingers like she could somehow physically hold him in place there but which he managed to counter by walking forwards in spite of that so that her little legs were literally being hauled over the parquet as she clung on like a monkey.

Mox played up to it a bit,

"Hmmm, now where did I put my Squeaker? Coulda sworn I left her by the table somewhere, or maybe I left her behind in the bathroom – ,"

He swung backwards and forwards until her head swam,

" _Whoa_."

Before her latched on hold could fail however and pitch her back onto the floor with a bang her brother took her arm and helped her stand upright before collecting their belongings from where he had set them earlier on and reuniting the kid with her all-important clutch bag that felt surprisingly heavy and contained god only knew what.

"C' mon Squeaker,"

He shook out her cardigan and she obediently slid into it,

"Are we going home now?"

Her cheeks were still bright pink from last two hours of non-stop partying to the point that they blended in with the shade of her frock but the tones were also fuelled by her latent reserves of happiness and a childlike contentment he never wanted to end.

Mox shrugged back at her coolly,

"Depends Squeaker,"

"On what?"

"Are you hungry?"

He knew her answer would be _yes_ because in spite of being a skinny runt of a munchkin the kid had an appetite that would have rivalled a bear and so sprang in towards him and seized his hand keenly with her blue eyes bursting and a smile on her lips.

"You mean for burger and fries and milkshakes?"

 _Bingo_.

Mox nodded back at her and shrugged,

"If that's want Squeaks wants."

Because their old neighborhood was a notoriously bad one there weren't a lot of places to grab a bite to eat unless they were maybe in the mood for free roaches or maybe even a used needle which they were not. Instead therefore Mox took the long way back to the suburbs by heading out onto the highway and then swinging back around which took them through the cute little main street that had been her local since his littlest sister had moved to the outskirts of their two-bit town.

He pulled up beside the nice looking eatery that Katie seemed to figure had the best comfort food around then hustled her skinny pins through the fiercely whipping chill factor and underneath the blue awning into the warmth and tables beyond, before ordering the kid a shake and himself a light brewsky and then letting her roam through the menu in awe.

Mox snorted at her,

"Seen somethin' you like Kiddo?"

"Um, I think I'm gonna get the cheeseburger – no – the _chicken_ burger, I'm all confused."

Most of the lipstick the kid had smeared on earlier had eroded clean off as the night had worn on, but what little had been left was then promptly murdered as she bit her bottom lip in fierce food-based consideration. Reaching over the table her brother removed the menu and then watched as the little blue eyes blinked in surprise,

"Cheeseburger."

"Huh?"

"I think that's what you should order Squeaks, because I'm pretty sure that after all of that dancin' you pulled back there you need somethin' that's gonna put meat on your bones and make up for the thousands of calories you were burnin'."

Katie beamed back at him excitedly,

"Done."

Before they could order their burgers however the milkshake and beer were brought over to where they were and _holy hell_ was the shake ever enormous?

Katie's eyes almost popped out of her head,

"Wow."

Mox frowned back at her as she launched in happily and began to attack the strawberry liquid through the straw but barely even troubled the mighty milkshake level since her first few sucks seemed to be made up mostly of froth,

"I thought you said you came here lots Squeaker."

"Um, not _lots_ but we come here for special things, like when I get a really good report card or for birthdays or when Brian got his promotion and stuff like that I guess."

Mox pricked his ears up wolf-like at the last part.

Brian.

 _Fuck_.

He was totally going to have to ask otherwise he would miss his chance and end up back in Florida freaking the fuck out that his little Munchkin was not okay or that her life was imploding and she was crying beneath the covers while her sister and brother-in-law yelled and broke apart.

But what if she really _didn't_ know there was a problem?

It would have been pretty fucking typical for him to wind up spilling the beans and so for once in his life instead of charging into something without pausing to even remotely think it through, Jon Moxley paused for maybe half of a second and then wet his lips before taking the plunge.

"So – uh – how are you likin' things Squeaker? Bein' here I mean instead of back home? Because I know I probably should have asked you earlier but – ,"

Katie cut him off with a hiss,

"Brain freeze, ouch."

He passed her across one of the neatly folded napkins and she rubbed her forehead with it until the burn tapered off and then threw him a totally goofy sounding giggle which briefly made him forget his question.

But not for too long.

"Squeaks?"

"Huh?"

"I said is everythin' okay here?"

Her blue eyes blinked a little but then rapidly got on board with what he meant since her loosely curled hair bounced in time to her nodding before suddenly looking back at the table top with a blush and beginning to squirm in her seat in embarrassment or like maybe their waiter had given them a table on an ant's nest.

"Um, I – I still miss _you_ a whole lot though."

Mox fought back the hitch in his heart with a manly cough but then let the bloom spread through him regardless as he grinned at the youngster with fondness,

"C' mere."

Katie instantly lit up like a firework and then slid from the cushion on her side of the booth, before tapping her ballerina pumps round to where he was sitting and letting him haul her up into a fierce brotherly hug. In the nearly two years since he had taken her from their mother and set in motion the wheels for the overhauling of her life, Katie had grown maybe all of a millimetre but she had fleshed out a little and had color in her face and it made all of the trauma that the two of them had been put through and her being snatched away seem worth the worry and the ache.

Nothing else mattered as long as she was happy.

If she truly was –

"Miss you too kid an' thanks for invitin' me to the party – it was _wild_."

Katie giggled back at him brightly,

"It was?"

"Hell yeah, I bet everyone in the _city_ wanted to be there, I mean, I'm guessin' I'm the luckiest guy in the family right now huh?"

In response to the teasing his little sister rolled her eyes up and huffed out a breath but kept in close to his side and then pursed her lips like she was thinking about something and considering whether to tell him or not which she finally chose to do in a whisper like the nearby tables were listening.

"They've been arguing a lot."

 _Shit_.

"Who has Squeaker?"

"Sissy and Brian."

Mox felt in over his head pretty much at once but resisted the temptation to childishly steal her nose back or make a fake fart noise in favor of being her best friend and telling his baby sister the loving stuff he felt she needed so the kid could hear from him that she would never be alone.

He tucked her in closer,

"Look Squeaks there's nothin' to worry about because sometimes married people get into stupid fights okay? Besides no matter whatever happens in the future both of those two people love you more than anythin' in the world and so does your crazy ass wrestler big brother and we're always gonna be there for you Munchkin, remember that."

Behind them there was a clatter of plates from the kitchen as their burgers were loaded up and then hastily brought out and Katie sat up from beneath her sibling's elbow practically drooling at the thought of the food, but not before she whispered back a sleepy little sentence flushed through with belief and contentment,

"Okay Mox."

* * *

 **Last chapter next time then everyone and we end on a cute note!**


	5. Mox Hits The Hay

**So, I said it was going to be short and it is...because this is the final chapter. I'm glad I dipped my toe back into these two though, I'm toying with maybe writing one with a teenage Katie but I'm still not totally sure on that front or if anyone would even want to read it? Anyway, as ever people, thanks for the support so here, please have a super cute ending!**

 **Skovko, Well, I figure that she's a kid and so therefore one thing is for sure and that is that she loves herself some ice cream and that she probably eats it way too fast (and which is in no way like me hoovering up ice cream like it's going out of fashion...not at all!)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Yep, if brother-in-law Brian ever hurts either one of his sisters then Mox is going to be having a few words. Or punches...yeah, he'll be having a few punches because no way is he about to let anything bad go down. Still, pretty sure Mox's big sister at least can handle things!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Aww, thanks, glad you like these two and hope you enjoy the final chapter!**

 **Mandy, I'm so glad you like it and I hope it made you cry happy tears at least? Thinking about your family and your grandmother and hoping that you all get the very best result you can. It's difficult when you feel like you're not being listened to *super big hugs***

 **Minnie1015, Haha, well, I'm always hungry for fries but I'm a veggie over here, so I'll let you have the burger and I'll join Katie with her freezing cold but super good milkshake like the repressed child that I secretly (not so secretly) am!**

 **Raze Olympus, Glad you like it. I've been thinking about fast forwarding maybe with these too to when she is a teen and Mox has become Ambrose (but he'll always be Mox to her) but just need to figure if I can do the idea justice. Either way, watch this space!**

 **For the last time then...**

* * *

 **Mox Hits The Hay**

By the time they had polished off their towering burgers and reached the bottom of their respective beer bottle and milkshake float Katie was both sleepy and a little bit shivery as her flagging little body fought to keep in the warmth and so her bigger brother handed over his big leather jacket and then zippered it right the way up to the top.

"How's that Squeaker?"

"Mmmm, nice and cosy and it smells like you."

Back in the car she nodded off and so Mox turned off the radio and took them back home in silence thinking loosely over the night and the happy fact that his sister loved him more than most kids loved their old men and also the fact that she knew about the arguing and the fact that the marriage was potentially on the rocks.

He pulled up kerbside and she roused beneath the leather and then rubbed her eyes adorably,

"Are – are we home?"

"Safe and sound Kiddo."

"Oh, I must have fallen asleep."

Her brown curled hair was pretty wildly tousled from the static of having nuzzled herself a little face rest on the seat and even with the blusher and the nail paint and the lipstick she still looked like his regular tired baby sis which made Mox snorted fondly then smooth out her tangle before nodding towards the house,

"C' mon Squeaker, let's getcha into bed."

In lifting her from the car he kept her held close to him and then carried her up the porch steps of the weather boarded house where they were greeted at door by their slipper-wearing sister who had obviously seen them coming before he could ring the bell. Her eyebrows raised up over her second or third batch of coffee as he padded in past her,

"It must have been a good night then?"

Mox snorted back but then crossed towards the staircase where he planted his baby sister on the bottom-most step and then turned her fondly in the direction of the upstairs with a little pat on the tush and a whisper,

"Go on Squeaks, better go up an' take off your war paint."

"Are you leaving?"

"Nah, I'll come and say goodnight."

Honestly beyond making it back for the big shindig Mox hadn't really figured out much of a plan and had sort of assumed he would either head straight back to Florida or maybe make it halfway and then find himself a motel. Not that he ever would have left without saying goodbye to her and the knowledge of that fact made the kid plod wearily up the stairs and then around the corner and off into the darkness of the landing which had been kept both shadowed and hushed for their bigger sister's two other sleeping and much younger children who had been hustled up the steps several hours before.

Mox too could feel himself suddenly flagging and so could his sibling,

"More coffee?"

"Fuck yes."

Rolling her eyes at his wanton use of language which had been a kind of flash point between them ever since she'd had her kids, his sister led the way back into the kitchen and poured him some lifeforce in a brand new mug since his previous one was sitting upturned on the draining board having been subjected to her uber strict kitchen cleanliness rules and the pristine conditions she liked to keep for her family –

 _Family_.

Shit.

Mox bit the thought out with a sheer lack of tactfulness that was poor by even his standards and sort of barked around the room like an accusal,

"Katie knows."

Fortunately however his older sister knew him well enough to basically be at the point where she half expected him to say stuff and so rather than reacting with heat or confusion she merely filled the coffee mug and then pushed it across.

"Knows what Jon?"

He took a sip –

Holy gods it was amazing but he knew that once the buzz had worn off from the caffeine he was probably going to totally crash and no doubt end up having to park up his truck and sleep on the backseat on the side of the road somewhere.

Great.

"She knows that you and Brian have been arguin' an' I think she's feelin' kinda nervous about it too."

"Katie said that?"

"No, but she's a smart kid and let's face it here, she's heard plenty of adults fightin' an' shit like that before."

Nor was he even remotely kidding on that point since his mother had broken up violently with every boyfriend she'd ever had and then either tried to throw things at them as she had hounded them from the apartment or else had copped a fist herself. In essence therefore the one thing that their kid knew about was the way the break up of a relationship might sound.

His older sister sucked a breath in and then nodded,

"Okay, I'll talk to her."

"Already done."

Mox took another sip from the coffee mug proudly but his smirk promptly faltered as his sister let loose a groan and then massaged at her brow line wearily as he blinked in confusion,

"Do I get to know what you said?"

"I told her that when you guys implode and the house sells that she can come over and live with me."

" _Jon_ – ,"

His sister nearly blew out an eyeball in horror and in response to it her younger brother issued a huffy snort as he tried and failed not to look completely butt hurt at the fact that she thought he might have made the whole thing worse, or trampled right the way across their baby sister's feelings rather than putting the little girl first.

"Relax okay? Like I would ever have fuckin' said that – like – what the hell do you even take me for?"

"Then what _did_ you say?"

"That married people argue but whatever the hell happened we all loved her like idiots and would be there for her always an' all that kinda thing."

"Oh."

For a second his sibling merely sort of blinked back at him and he could see that suddenly she was feeling very loosely bad for assuming that he had been a bull in a china shop but which probably wasn't too much of a stretch thanks to his usual abysmal lack of thoughtfulness.

He nodded back hurt all the same,

"I'm not an asshole – well, not when it comes to her."

"I know, I'm sorry Jon."

"Hold up, repeat that?"

Based on the twenty plus years they had known each other and previous times they had butted their heads, Mox had in no way been expecting her to show remorse for it and so the fact that she had and was looking contrite about it suddenly made him realise how beaten she was and how much the bickering in her marriage was beginning to weigh on her and yet how strong she was having to be for the kids.

He cleared his throat and then waved an awkward hard around,

"Look – uh – if you ever need me or anythin' or Brian is bein' stupid or anythin' at all, I hope you know that you can call me an' shit right? I mean it – like – whatever I'm doin' I'll drop. I figure I got two sisters, not just the little one."

Her smile made the cringe factor worthwhile,

"Thanks Jon."

Enough of that though –

He planted his hands on the counter and then slid from the barstool in a weary sort of slouch before tossing back the rest of the coffee he would regret later and trying to pretend like it had woken him back up.

"Better go an' say goodnight to Squeaks I guess."

"Then what?"

He shrugged,

"Head back to Florida?"

His sister shook her head at him,

"That's crazy, absolutely not because the last thing I need with everything else that I've got happening is the police phoning me up to say you crashed your damn car or fell asleep on the highway or something else stupid, so forget about mister – you're stayin' here tonight."

He blinked at her forcefulness and bit a little grin back,

"Uh – ,"

"No choice Jon, I'll make up the couch."

Before he even really knew what was happening she was over in the playroom tossing cushions onto the floor and kicking aside assorted fire trucks and tennis balls as she channelled her anxiety into mothering up a storm. In the past Mox had always had her pegged like their own mom since the pair had always shared a similar set of balls and liked to fight and stand their ground like pitbulls but his big sister was also loving where their mother was not and fierce as a lion when it came to her family.

He paused for a second,

"Uh, I'll say goodnight to Squeaker then."

"Grab me the extra blanket from the cupboard when you come back but _don't_ wake the boys."

"Sure thing boss."

Even though the room they had allocated Katie was by far and away the smallest space in the house, the walls had been painted in a lilting pink color that bordered on white and made it look bigger than it was. In one corner a wardrobe had been wrestled in impressively and there was also a painted dresser and boxes for stashing books and toys, but taking up the majority of the room were her bunkbeds which he knew they had bought so that her friends could sleep round. Katie was tucked on the bottom bunk in the half light with both a real and a toy cat lying tangled around her feet and for a second her brother assumed she was sleeping until her big eyes blinked across at him,

"Mox?"

"Yeah, s' only me Squeaks."

He crossed the space towards her then crouched to palm her hair back figuring she was far too tired to speak so then being surprised when she put a little hand out and curled it round his shirt,

"Will you – will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Sure thing Munchkin," Mox replied instinctively without entirely thinking it through because the talk from earlier in the hall had rattled him and he knew he would be having nightmares about sullen teenagers for weeks and so therefore his baby sister wanting to regress a bit and cuddle him was the thing that he needed to soothe that growing ache. It took him a little bit of cursing and manoeuvring to get himself properly onto the bottom bunk but once he had hit his head and shins about ten times, he finally managed to fold down next to where she was and with his spine to the pink painted wall to let Katie snuggle close to him and lay her little head on the crook of his arm as she fought her weariness back long enough to murmur at him in sluggish little tones.

"Thank you for coming tonight Mox."

He leaned in towards her and pressed a kiss to her forehead,

"Thanks for invitin' me."

Then they both fell fast asleep.

* * *

 **Awww…**

 **THANK YOU EVERYONE!**


End file.
